3D Characterization of Thermal Fatigue Damage in Monofilament Reinforced Copper for Heat Sink Applications in Fusion Reactor Systems

摘要

Monofilament reinforced metals (MFRM) are developed as high temperature heat sink materials for fusion reactor applications. These composites combine the high thermal conductivity (TC) of a Cu matrix with low thermal expansion (CTE) of SiC or W filaments. The CTE mismatch between matrix and reinforcement lead to high micro stresses under operation conditions. Stress induced thermal fatigue damage such as interface delamination and fiber/matrix damage degrades the thermal properties of these composites. Different interface designs are developed for SiC as well as W filaments to improve bonding strength and increase the long term stability. Conventional as well as synchrotron tomography was applied on different MFRMs to characterize thermal fatigue damage and its propagation before, during and after thermal cycling.